The Landaa Estate and the Kuda Estate are ultra-luxe tropical sanctuaries
Four Seasons Resorts Maldives has taken luxury to new heights, revealing two newly-imagined super-villas. The first is the refurbished and expanded Four-Bedroom Landaa Estate is located at Four Seasons Resorts Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru in Baa Atoll.
While this high-end resort also has an adjacent mini private island for hire (Voavah at Baa Atoll), the Landaa Estate is the perfect choice for guests wanting optimum privacy plus walkable access to the main island’s amenities.
As you can see, the sprawling Landaa Estate features an enormous 20 metre (65 foot) swimming pool with cascading waterfall, whirlpool, sunken lounge and sundeck. It opens out onto a private stretch of beach and the island’s 1.5 mile (2.5km) turquoise lagoon beyond. There’s also a large swing and sunken outdoor seating. On the first floor is a pavilion with day beds for lounging on, with a roof terrace above for stargazing.
The expanded layout of the Landaa Estate now features four bedrooms accommodated within four pavilions, and a new king bedroom. There’s even a private library, an entertainment room and a dedicated kids’ playroom.
The transformed decor is inspired by the natural environment surrounding it. Bright whites evoke the powdery coral sand beach, which merges harmoniously with teal and turquoise shades of the ocean.
Altogether, the Landaa Estate provides 800 square metres (8,611 square feet) of luxurious indoor space as well as an additional 2,000 square metres (21,528 square feet) of outdoor space. This means it can comfortably host up to nine adults or eight adults and six children.
Four Seasons Regional Vice President, Armando Kraenzlin, says, “With the Landaa Estate, we wanted to complement the nature of the Baa Atoll Unesco Biosphere Reserve with a haven of contemporary design, to create a space that not only offered elevated privacy, comfort and service but that elusive ‘I never want to leave’ feeling. I couldn’t be happier with the end result”.
Over at Four Seasons Resorts Maldives at Kuda Huraa (below), in Male’ Atoll, the Three Bedroom Kuda Estate is anything but tiny. ‘Kuda’ means ‘small’ in the local language, but the use of the word ‘kuda’ here comes from the name of the resort island, which is ‘Four Seasons Kuda Huraa’ (Four Seasons Little Huraa). It refers to how it’s the smaller neighbour of the bigger island of Huraa, an island community.
Dhivehi lessons aside, the Kuda Estate, like the Landaa Estate, is perfect for multigenerational families, groups of friends, or anyone seeking one of the Maldives’ biggest and best villas. However, the two islands offer two completely different vibes. Here’s a simple explainer:
- Kuda Huraa is a speedboat ride from Velana International Airport, while Landaa is a seaplane ride away, in the central atolls.
- Kuda Huraa is said to be inspired by a traditional Maldvian village fringed with hibiscus bushes, whereas Landaa Giraavaru is a large former coconut plantation, with more bucolic vibes.
- The accommodation at Landaa Giraavaru seems to take architectural inspiration from a hacienda, albeit with a modern tropical twist.
- By contrast, however, Kuda Huraa’s design was inspired by historical Maldivian homes, plus what I view as a dash of Santorini thrown in, too (curved whitewashed walls, blue doors and domes).
Back to Kuda Huraa, and to the villa which was previously known as the Royal Villa. The newly-christened Landaa Estate’s interior space has been expanded to 262 square metre (2,820 square feet), plus there’s a 214 square metre (2,303 square feet) exterior. It now features three bedrooms (up from two). As such, it can accommodate groups of up to six adults and three children.
Let’s start with the outdoor space, as that’s where most guests spend the majority of their time. The impressive 139-square-metre (1,500 square foot) infinity pool curves around a 140-square-metre (1,500 square foot) deck. This sea-view deck includes a newly extended dining area and a sunken seating enclave. Just a few metres into the sea, directly in front of the villa, is the island’s only private sea-view gazebo, complete with a swing.
Three stand-alone bedroom villas are linked by communal indoor-outdoor living spaces. These redesigned living and dining areas maximise light and space. The ceilings extend to more than six metres (20 feet), which is more than double the height of standard rooms at the resort.
Commenting on the launch of the Kuda Estate, Four Seasons Resorts Maldives at Kuda Huraa General Manager, Didier Jardin says, “The reimagined Kuda Estate raises the bar for luxury at Four Seasons Resort Kuda Huraa. It’s the perfect fusion of privacy, space, and design – magnificent in scale, yet perfectly in tune with its natural island surrounds and the island’s warm embrace.
“We’re thrilled to welcome families and groups of friends to experience this one-of-a-kind retreat and create precious new memories in one of the Maldives’ most iconic resort settings”.
To find out more about the Landaa Estate at Four Seasons Resorts Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru visit their website here and to find out more about the Kuda Estate at Four Seasons Resorts Maldives at Kuda Huraa visit their website here.
You may also like: Your chance to try Michelin-starred Italian cuisine at Four Seasons Maldives
